RABI (artist)

RABI (born David Emanuel Mordechai Torres in 1984) is an American visual artist of Puerto Rican and Polish descent from Los Angeles, California. He is known for being part of the artist collective, CYRCLE. RABI's works can be seen in public and private collections including that of Shepard Fairey, Ari Emanuel, Sean Combs, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, MOCA Detroit, MGM Grand in Las Vegas, The Art of Elysium, and the Contemporary Art Center in New Orleans.[1][2][3][4]

RABI
RABI next to his work in 2021
Born
David Emanuel Mordechai Torres

November 30, 1984 (1984-11-30) (age 37)
Los Angeles, California
Websiterabitowing.com

Career

RABI's works stem from his early life as a graffiti writer, skateboarder and muralist.[5][6][7] Through skateboarding and graffiti, RABI began practicing art in public spaces, as well as capturing his personal world through video and photography.[8] Themes of contradiction, duality, and sociopolitical philosophy become visible throughout RABI's work. In 2009 RABI co-founded the art collective CYRCLE along with David Leavitt and Devin Liston (Liston left in 2012),[9] which gained international notoriety and allowed for him to take his love for public installation to a worldwide audience.[10]

He spent a full decade building CYRCLE while growing his skills in video, design, photography, painting and sculpture. During this time he worked throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North America.[11] While working with CYRCLE, RABI collaborated with artists, brands and non-profits including, HBO, Uber, Pharrell, TED Prize winner- JR,[12] James Lavelle, Chad Muska, Woodkid, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and Audi, among others.

In 2021 RABI was commissioned by Firestone Walker Brewing Company in Venice to paint a large-scale mural on the building.[13] That same year he was chosen to participate in the worldwide street art campaign, #NOTACRIME for educational equality in Iran. RABI's mural was painted over the summer in New York and the piece directly confronts the shattered educational system, "a result of an entire minority being barred just because of their beliefs." The mural is in keeping with his previous work – all of which has focused on society and the human condition. The owner of a nearby building, overlooking the Nelson Mandela Memorial Garden at the corner of Frederick Douglass Boulevard and 126th Street, offered the wall of her building to help the project.[14]

Selected exhibitions and works

References
  1. Artbute, Rabi Bio, 2020
  2. Bell Arts Factory, Mention Of Rabi: Muralist, 2015
  3. Artist RABI Completes Mural at Venice Taproom, Firestonebeer.com, November 9, 2021
  4. Global Street Art: David “Rabi” Torres and Peaceful Revolution, Iran Wire, 2021
  5. RABI Paints Mural For Firestone Walker Brewing Company,Atrbute.com, October 13, 2021
  6. #NOTACRIME Worldwide Street Art Campaign for Educational Equality In Iran, Express Magazine, 2021
  7. Global Street Art: David “Rabi” Torres and Peaceful Revolution, Iran Wire, 2021
  8. Featured Artists, Art of Development, 2022
  9. UNRTD, CYRCLE, 2018 Mural
  10. In The Spotlight: Muralist RABI, VenicePaparazzi.com, November 11, 2021
  11. Artist-duo CYRCLE Converts an Underground Parking Structure into a Colorful Universe, UNRTD, Montreal, 2015
  12. Rabi x JR Collaborate With Branded Arts Among Other Artists For Maya Angelou Festival, NY Times, July 2019
  13. RABI Paints Mural For Firestone Walker Brewing Company,Atrbute.com, October 13, 2021
  14. Global Street Art: David “RABI” Torres and Peaceful Revolution, Iran Wire, 2021
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